"So, what did you think of my amazing paper cutouts? Hey! Link! Are you sleeping, swabbie?" Yawning and stretching, Link had lost track of Niko's story several minutes ago. After all, it was HIS story, why did he need to pay attention to his friend retelling it?
"Link! Link!" Niko turned his attention towards the helm, where Tetra was approaching in search of Link, who was still too sedated to really respond. Spying him, Tetra jumped down to confront him. "Stop messing around down there! You're both supposed to be on lookout!" Link sat up, blinked, and then promptly fell back down. "Hah! Some legendary hero you are. Who'd believe that you saved me from the evil king?"
"Princess Zelda, we're nearly at that spot in the sea!" called another lookout who was still paying attention to his task.
"I told you not to call me Zelda!" she snapped back. "Tetra worked just fine before, you know. But enough about that! So this is where the Ghost Ship is said to appear? Stay on the lookout for a creepy-looking ship!"
"Are you sure this is a good idea?" Niko asked from behind her. "What about all those ships that have gone missing? I say the Ghost Ship is behind all of it!"
"That's right, Niko. Every ship disappears. And it's all because of that scaaaary Ghost Ship!" Sarcasm dripped from Tetra's voice, but Niko didn't seem to hear it.
"G-ghosts…?" he stammered, shivering visibly.
"Hey, Tetra!" called the helmsman. "They say these seas are protected, yeah? Something about a spirit called the Ocean King. Wouldn't a spirit like that protect the ships? Unless there really is an evil Ghost Ship…"
"Don't be ridiculous," she replied tersely. "There's no such thing as a Ghost Ship! I bet it's just some pirates up to no good. I'll expose them as a bunch of frauds. And remind them that there are rules to being pirates! I doubt there really is an Ocean King anyway."
Behind her, Link gasped, sensing something that quickly became evident, as fog enveloped the ship.
"Hey…look!" Niko exclaimed. "The air feels chilly... Eerie, even. I say we take a detour around this creepy place." He was now shivering even worse than before. Link was now fully awake, staring off into the fog.
Tetra was the least concerned about the situation. "Quit being so scared!" she snapped at Niko. "We're here to see the world, not take detours!"
A call rang from the crow's nest. "Ship ahoy!" The lookout paused. "Tetra…I can see a ship…yeah, a ship…up ahead!" The lookout's voice wavered, and he was definitely shaken by what he saw.
The others found out what that was a moment later, as a large vessel emerged from the fog, pulling up alongside them. Although it was much larger than their ship, the railing on the main deck was only a couple of feet above theirs. The ship was riddled with holes, making everyone wonder what was holding it together.
Niko was the first with an answer. "It-it's… THE GHOST SHIP!" he screamed. "These waters really are cursed!"
"And you call yourself a pirate! It's just a ship." Tetra replied, still not convinced. She figured it was just another band of pirates with some special effects. "But it does look like it could be the Ghost Ship… There might even be a load of treasure on board!" Now she was excited! "That's it. I'm gonna get to the bottom of this!"
She leapt up onto the railing, but Link stormed past her, jumping up onto the ship easily, prepared to take on whatever was on the ship to protect Tetra. She was foolhardy and reckless, he knew, and she had been captured before. And he could sense that something wasn't right, even if she couldn't.
"Hey! I'm the leader! Get back here Link!" Tetra yelled as she jumped onto the rail of the Ghost Ship after him. Suddenly, the ship shifted, and she nearly lost her grip. A glance backwards revealed that her own ship wasn't behind her anymore, and her leg that she'd gotten onto the rail slipped back off.
She had almost gotten her leg back up again when she heard Link yelling in pain from somewhere in the ship, and it lurched again. She couldn't keep her grip this time, and fell off into the water with a yell.
Tetra…I need your help…I lost…Tetra…save me…
"Hey!" Tetra awoke on a sandy beach to the voice of a fairy. She sat up, and the fairy began flying around her head. "Oh, phew! You're awake! You weren't moving, so I thought you were done for!"
"It'll take more than that to beat me!" Tetra shouted, wishing that the fairy would stop making her dizzy.
"But it looks like you're going to be OK." The fairy finally stopped right in front of her face. "I'm Ciela. You see, I'm a fairy!"
"Of course you're a fairy!" Tetra exclaimed, not sure whether to laugh or grump. "Where did you come from, though?"
"Well, I was out fluttering around and found you here. What happened?"
Tetra held a hand to her hand, trying to remember just what she'd been doing. She remembered falling into the water, and… "The Ghost Ship! Link! Give Link back!"
"What? A Ghost Ship? Your friend was taken away by a Ghost Ship?" Ciela exclaimed. Tetra then explained what she remembered of her encounter with the Ghost Ship, staring out at the sea in a vain hope of seeing some trace of it. "So, you were following him onto the ship, and got separated from your own ship, huh?" Ciela asked, confirming what Tetra was telling her. She just nodded, the shock setting in. "Is it the Ghost Ship people have been talking about? They say that those it takes are never seen again!"
"So I've heard," Tetra agreed, "but I didn't believe it. But I guess I should have…" She found herself fighting back tears, knowing that this was her fault for chasing after the ship in the first place.
"You want to know more about the Ghost Ship?" Ciela volunteered. "Grandpa will know all about it."
"Grandpa, huh?" Tetra didn't know what the grandpa of a fairy would be, but figured that anything was possible.
"Yeah. I lost my memory…a long time ago." Ciela sounded sad, and Tetra didn't blame her. "When I woke up on this beach, Grandpa rescued me!" So, then Grandpa was probably just a human that had taken care of the fairy, Tetra concluded. "He's very sweet, so you've got nothing to worry about! Our house is up there, off the beach. Come on!" Ciela flew off towards a house nestled into the low hills above the beach. Seeing that Tetra hadn't followed, she flew back. "Oh, can you walk?"
"Huh? Oh, yeah." Tetra snapped out of her daze and followed Ciela up the hill.
The house wasn't very big, but it had a fenced yard, and barrels were stacked on the east side of the building. She followed Ciela inside, and found herself facing an old man with a big staff that looked like an elongated seashell.
"Ah, hello, traveler," he greeted her. "I am Oshus, and I live on this island."
"Hello," she replied. "Call me Tetra." She wasn't nearly as gung-ho as she usually was, she realized, but she was now in a very strange situation, and sadness weighed heavily on her heart.
"Ciela told me all about what happened to you," he said, a comforting smile on his face. "I also hear your friend was taken by the Ghost Ship."
Wow, she said that fast, Tetra thought, realizing that Ciela had hardly been out of her sight since they'd met. "Yeah, that's what happened." And it's my fault…
"I understand that you want to find the Ghost Ship," he continued. "But you must not."
"What?" Tetra shouted.
"But, Grandpa! What are you saying?" Ciela chimed in. "Tetra's friend was carried away!"
A sad look spread across Oshus's face. "Pure evil fills the sails of the Ghost Ship. It roams the seas, in search of victims to capture. And no one has ever escaped from it. It's best if you stay far away from that Ghost Ship."
"I can't do that!" Tetra nearly screamed.
"No." Oshus's voice was calm, but firm. "To seek out that ship is to seek out your doom."
"That's why we have to do something, Grandpa!" Ciela chirped, landing on Tetra's head.
"Oh, mercy…" Oshus whispered, shaking his head. He then looked Tetra in the face. "Hmm…you're not going to give up, are you?"
"Of course not! He never gave up on me, and I won't give up on him!" Tetra was emphatic, and glad that Ciela was taking her side.
"Young people," he said under his breath. "There is a port to the east of here. A sailor by the name of Joleen should be there. She may be willing to tell you more about the Ghost Ship." He pulled out a scroll and handed it to Tetra. "The harbor is over here."
Tetra studied the map for a moment. "Why is there a picture of my face on here?" she asked, surprised.
"The map is enchanted," he explained. "It will show you where you are on the island, or on any of the local islands, if you happen to leave. And you can use this quill to take notes on it, it needs no ink."
"Cool!" Tetra exclaimed, genuinely impressed by the map. She made a mark on the harbor, not that it was hard to figure out where it was anyways. She also accidentally drew a line off to the side, and gasped, trying to rub out the mistake. Surprisingly, it vanished easily. "And it erases, too!"
"Are you talking about that lady that came to visit, Grandpa?" Ciela asked. "She was asking about the Ghost Ship too! I'll go with Tetra and show her who she is." Tetra smiled, glad to have made a new friend. "It's okay, right, Grandpa?"
"Yes, I don't see why you can't go along," Oshus replied, and Ciela began bouncing happily. "I'm sure that you can help Tetra."
"Thank you Grandpa!" Ciela shouted, flying for the door. "Let's go, Tetra!"
Oshus chuckled. "She's always been antsy, that one." He paused. "Now, Tetra, lately there have been many monster sightings. I gave in to you and told you about Joleen. But you be careful out there."
Tetra nodded. "I will, don't worry." She then turned and followed Ciela out the door.